Author
Listed:
- Baubak Bajoghli
(Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Stuebeweg 51, D-79108 Freiburg, Germany)
- Peng Guo
(Emory Vaccine Center, 954 Gatewood Road
Emory University, 1462 Clifton Road North-East, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA)
- Narges Aghaallaei
(Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Stuebeweg 51, D-79108 Freiburg, Germany)
- Masayuki Hirano
(Emory Vaccine Center, 954 Gatewood Road
Emory University, 1462 Clifton Road North-East, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA)
- Christine Strohmeier
(Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Stuebeweg 51, D-79108 Freiburg, Germany)
- Nathanael McCurley
(Emory Vaccine Center, 954 Gatewood Road
Emory University, 1462 Clifton Road North-East, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA)
- Dale E. Bockman
(Medical College of Georgia)
- Michael Schorpp
(Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Stuebeweg 51, D-79108 Freiburg, Germany)
- Max D. Cooper
(Emory Vaccine Center, 954 Gatewood Road
Emory University, 1462 Clifton Road North-East, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA)
- Thomas Boehm
(Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Stuebeweg 51, D-79108 Freiburg, Germany)
Abstract
The lamprey's thymoid and vertebrate immunity The immune system of lampreys — jawless fish with roots in the early separation of the vertebrates into jawed and jawless lines — is of particular interest to evolutionary biologists. Much has been made of the differences between the 'alternative' immune system in the lamprey and that of today's jawed vertebrates, but the recent discovery that lampreys have lymphocytes resembling B and T cells, which are central to the adaptive immune response of the jawed vertebrates, puts more emphasis on the search for similarities. Histological surveys of lampreys have failed to reveal an organ equivalent to the mammalian thymus, the organ that generates the development of T lymphocytes. Now, gene expression analysis reveals previously unrecognized thymus-like structures — termed thymoids — at the tips of gill filaments of lamprey larvae. This suggests that the common ancestor of the jawed and jawless vertebrates may have had not only T- and B-like lymphocytes, but also anatomically distinct tissues for their development.
Suggested Citation
Baubak Bajoghli & Peng Guo & Narges Aghaallaei & Masayuki Hirano & Christine Strohmeier & Nathanael McCurley & Dale E. Bockman & Michael Schorpp & Max D. Cooper & Thomas Boehm, 2011.
"A thymus candidate in lampreys,"
Nature, Nature, vol. 470(7332), pages 90-94, February.
Handle:
RePEc:nat:nature:v:470:y:2011:i:7332:d:10.1038_nature09655
DOI: 10.1038/nature09655
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